Astronomers update map of the universe: 'The largest volume version'

Astronomers have created a new map of the universe containing 1.3 million supermassive black holes.

According to a report by Cosmos Magazine, astronomers utilized quasars—hot, turbulent masses of gas and dust that are among the brightest objects in the universe—formed by supermassive black holes that are 100,000 to 10 billion times larger than the Sun.

Professor David Hogg from New York University, one of the scientists who created the map, stated that their catalog is different from all previously created catalogs because it shows a 3D map of the largest volume version of the universe.

"THE LARGEST VOLUME VERSION OF THE UNIVERSE"

Hogg stated, "This is not the catalog with the most quasars or the highest quality quasar measurements, but it is a catalog that maps the largest volume of the universe."

Noting that the quasar catalog is a good example of how productive astronomical projects can be, Hogg shared the assessment, "Gaia was designed to identify stars in our own galaxy, but it also found millions of quasars. This gave us a map of the universe."

The article on the research, which is hoped to help astronomers better understand the evolution of the universe, was published in the Astrophysical Journal.

News Source: AA